Trump campaign fundraises off Pelosi's call to postpone State of the Union

The Trump campaign on Thursday issued a fundraising pitch centered on Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiTrump on collision course with Congress over bases with Confederate names Black lawmakers unveil bill to remove Confederate statues from Capitol Pelosi: Georgia primary ‘disgrace’ could preview an election debacle in November MORE’s (D-Calif.) request to reschedule this year’s State of the Union speech until the government is reopened.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE claimed in a campaign email sent to supporters that Democrats “illegitimately ‘disinvited’ me from making my scheduled and VERY important State of the Union Address.”

Click Here: camiseta river plateADVERTISEMENT

Pelosi has not gone as far as to disinvite the president, but suggested Wednesday that his speech scheduled for Jan. 29 be postponed due to the ongoing partial government shutdown. The Democratic leader has cited security concerns associated with the shutdown.

“Nancy Pelosi asked me to reschedule the State of the Union Address given the ‘security concerns’ regarding the government shutdown,” Trump said in his fundraising pitch. “What about the REAL security concerns at our Southern Border? What about the REAL security concerns of American Citizens and their loved ones?”

The email urges supporters to donate $5. The campaign said it’s aiming to raise $1 million by midnight Thursday in support of “Border Security.”

Trump’s demand for more than $5 billion to fund his proposed wall along the southern border triggered a partial government shutdown that has lasted 27 days and counting. Democrats have offered money for other border security measures, but nothing for the wall.

Pelosi, who as Speaker has the authority to invite the president to deliver a State of the Union address, argued that because the Secret Service is the lead agency for security and it has not been funded due to the shutdown, the address should be put off or Trump deliver it in writing.

Trump has not directly commented on Pelosi’s request to reschedule the address, but on Thursday informed her in a letter that a congressional delegation trip she intended to take to Afghanistan would be “postponed.”

The president is refusing to provide U.S. military transportation for the trip, which would have included a stop in a war zone. Trump suggested that the Speaker fly commercial if she wanted to still go.

“We will reschedule this seven-day excursion when the shutdown is over,” Trump wrote. “I also feel that, during this period, it would be better if you were in Washington negotiating with me and joining the Strong Border Security movement to end the shutdown.”